Bossing It: Tommy Shull on Keeping True to His Core Values
Tommy Shull is the founder and executive producer of STUCK IN MOTION, an award-winning full service creative studio. He began his career as an editor for marquee agencies such as Dentsu, 360i & McCann.
He has also worked with well known music artists such as Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and U2. Tommy founded STUCK IN MOTION in 2017 to be 'the secret weapon for brands and agencies', delivering award-winning work from internal tapes to commercials and everything in between. STUCK IN MOTION has partnered with brands such as Paramount, LG, Burger King, Toyota, and more.
LBB> What was your first experience of leadership?
Tommy> My earliest recollection goes back to grade school. Students would put together a 20 minute-long morning announcements radio program that took a lot of writing, organising and preparing. The program eventually evolved into a morning TV news show with both live and pre-recorded material. While I definitely enjoyed the theatrical aspect of it all, I also really enjoyed the team aspect. I learned pretty quickly that it takes all kinds of personalities to make a show come together.
Everyone had a responsibility to do their part but there also needed to be leaders who were organised and motivated. This stuck with me and evolved over the years.
LBB> How did you figure out what kind of leader you wanted to be – or what kind of leader you didn’t want to be?
Tommy> Other leaders can teach you a lot about good and bad leadership. I’ve definitely worked under both. I believe it comes down to respect. I have tremendous respect for my work, my partners, the people on my team, and myself. If there’s no respect, leadership breaks down quickly. I also believe in keeping it positive. The work can get really challenging so you need to see the positive in order to find the solutions.
LBB> What experience or moment gave you your biggest lesson in leadership?
Tommy> I am constantly learning lessons but the biggest lessons come from dealing with conflict. Thankfully that does not come up very often but those moments will teach you the most about yourself and leading others.
LBB> Did you know you always wanted to take on a leadership role? If so how did you work towards it and if not, when did you start realising that you had it in you?
Tommy> Leadership begins with responsibility. As I grew in my career, I was given more and more responsibility which eventually led to leadership roles. I realised early on that there are many forms of leadership and you don’t necessarily need to be in charge of everything to be a leader. Realising this has helped me know when to step in and when to step back so others can lead in their own way.
LBB> When it comes to 'leadership' as a skill, how much do you think is a natural part of personality, how much can be taught and learned?
Tommy> I can definitely recognise when someone has natural leadership, however, I also believe anyone can learn to be a leader if you’re willing to listen, be patient and work on yourself.
LBB> What are the aspects of leadership that you find most personally challenging? And how do you work through them?
Tommy> 100% it’s dealing with mixed personalities. I feel very fortunate that our industry is full of really wonderful and creative people. However, sometimes personalities just don’t click and I’ve found that keeping your eye on the higher goal can usually smooth out most situations.
I also find the pressures of leading your team through challenging projects can be pretty intense. Everyone is looking to you for answers so keeping yourself calm and focused is extremely important.
LBB> Have you ever felt like you've failed whilst in charge? How did you address the issue and what did you learn from it?
Tommy> Oh absolutely. More times than I’d like to admit. It’s a really painful and frustrating experience but fortunately, my spouse and mentors have helped a lot. I am reminded that sometimes, there’s no good outcome but you have a responsibility to make a decision. You hope you make the right one but hindsight is 20/20. You also hope to learn from your past mistakes and not to repeat them.
LBB> In terms of leadership and openness, what’s your approach there? Do you think it’s important to be as transparent as possible in the service of being authentic? Or is there a value in being careful and considered?
Tommy> This is a really great question and I think about it often. People are smart and they can smell bullsh*t coming from a mile away. I believe in being transparent but also being measured. Framing a tough situation positively is really important or you could end up having the opposite outcome.
LBB> As you developed your leadership skills did you have a mentor, if so who were/are they and what have you learned? And on the flip side, do you mentor any aspiring leaders and how do you approach that relationship?
Tommy> I absolutely have mentors and I wish I had more honestly. It’s so important to get the perspectives of veterans in the industry whom you respect so I try to do it as often as I can. As far as the younger generation goes, I’m not that old – I think (I’m 36 as I write this), but I absolutely believe in being a resource for the next generation. I’ll ALWAYS sit down for a chat with anyone who wants to have a conversation. I’m so appreciative of those who were willing to do so with me. I’ve learned so much that way.
LBB> In continually changing market circumstances, how do you cope with the responsibility of leading a team through difficult waters?
Tommy> I witnessed a company close their doors firsthand when I was first starting out. It’s like watching a slow death and it's really stressful for everyone involved. I’m hypersensitive to how an industry downturn can affect your psyche and believe in being honest about it. People read the news, talk to their friends, and can see when business is slow.
My responsibility is to keep us true to our core values: do excellent work, keep innovating, build meaningful relationships, and develop niche markets. I believe this has allowed us to navigate some really difficult times.
LBB> As a leader, what are some of the ways in which you’ve prioritised diversity and inclusion within your workforce?
Tommy> I really have to credit our executive creative director, Deb Reichman, with her deep commitment to authenticity. It’s important that we gather diverse perspectives so that our voice comes across as genuine. You can only do this if you have diverse voices within your team.
LBB> How important is your company culture to the success of your business? And how have you managed to keep it alive with increases in remote and hybrid working patterns?
Tommy> We’ve been a remote company since the very beginning so we’re very efficient at working far apart but I also firmly believe in the value of in person connection. This is how you build strong relationships and trust. It can be difficult to navigate getting together but we make the time every so often so that we don’t become sterile and disconnected.
LBB> What are the most useful resources you’ve found to help you along your leadership journey?
Tommy> You can try to prepare for every situation but you’ll never be fully prepared for everything. Take others advice but make your own decision and trust your instincts.
